


Something nice, everything precious

by Sheepgirl3



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Awesome Natasha Romanov, BAMF Natasha Romanov, BAMF Tony Stark, Bucky Barnes Has PTSD, Bucky Barnes Recovering, Bucky Barnes loves soft things, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, It’s really more of a let’s love Bucky marathon, Just references and small glimpses, Mute Bucky Barnes, Natasha Romanov Is a Good Bro, No real pairing but Stucky could be seen in this, Not heavy on the PTSD, Soft Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers and Amazon, Steve Rogers and the 21st Century, The Avengers Are Good Bros, Tony Stark Does What He Wants, Tony Stark Has A Heart, and deserves all of them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-29
Updated: 2020-01-29
Packaged: 2021-02-25 17:35:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22460047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sheepgirl3/pseuds/Sheepgirl3
Summary: Steve Rogers loves his best friend, Bucky.As evidenced by the tremendous amount of trouble he’s gone through for him. But wars and fights are all well and good while they last, but how about proving your love outside a battlefield?Steve’s got it covered. Bucky Barnes deserves all good things, and his bestie will make sure he gets them.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 30





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I guess this is Stucky is a way, should I just label it Stucky? I should shouldn’t I?  
> This is really not focused on a pairing though! So view it either as a platonic best friend-but the best of best friend-relationship, or as a couple. It could be either.  
> Bucky Barnes deserves all good and soft things. And I stick by this!

Bucky pulled himself out of the hazes with a soft sound, sitting up and gasping as he tried to get his bearings. The memory of his nightmare was scattered, all that remained were hazy pieces of the Chair...and Zemo...and that scientist-the first one...  
Bucky stumbled out of bed, walking with almost no guidance from himself until he was at Steve’s door across the hall. Pushing it open, he stepped inside.

Steve was still asleep when the door opened, but jerked awake when he heard the click of it closing. Once his eyes adjusted, he saw his best friend trying to hide in the shadows, starting to take what had now become a nightly position huddled in the far corner.

Not tonight.

“Hey Buck.” Steve said softly. His friend still jumped a foot off the ground. On closer inspection in the dim light, he saw that Bucky was shaking. “Are you with me? Do you know who I am?”

Bucky nodded slowly.

“Bad night, huh?” No movement, then a tiny nod of the head. Steve relaxed into his sitting position, thinking over what would be best to do. An idea occurred to him. “Want to sleep with me? There’s plenty of room, I don’t need all this space.”  
That was mostly true, but Steve would make it all true for Bucky.

Bucky seemed unsure, so Steve pulled back the covers to show the space for him. Steve really wanted to go over to his friend, but knew from experience it would only make it worse.

“It’s ok, Buck. You’re safe, no one’s going to get you here. And if you don’t want to be alone, you can stay here with me. You don’t have to hide in the corner.”

A long moment passed, then the dark figure that was Bucky moved silently over to the other side of the bed, then paused, as if waiting for Steve to tell him that he was joking. Steve only smiled and nodded, so the former soldier slowly got into the bed, still shivering.

Telegraphing his movements, Steve pulled the covers up around Bucky, essentially tucking him in and frowning at the shivering. “You cold, Buck?” Silence. “It’s ok to tell me.” A slow nod. “Want some more blankets?” Another nod.

Steve jumped out of bed and went to his closet, searching for the warmest things he owned. There were quite a lot of warm blankets, so he chose four and brought them to Bucky. “Which one? Or ones?”  
To his surprise, Bucky almost immediately tried to grab all of them. Steve raised an eyebrow. “All of them?” Then realized his mistake as Bucky shrunk back in on himself, not meeting his eyes. “Hey it’s ok, you can have all of them. You can have the whole damn closet if you want, I was just surprised.”

Bucky slowly uncurled from himself and hesitantly reached for the blankets, stopping about halfway. Steve leaned forward and placed the blankets in his hands, then moved away, going to his side of the bed. He pretended that he was going back to sleep, but instead watched as Bucky carefully arranged all the blankets on top of himself, carefully running his hands down them lovingly.

 _Huh_ , Steve thought. _Curious_.

When he woke up a few hours later to find all the blankets he owned layering a sleeping Bucky-whose hands were still smoothing the soft surfaces in his sleep-he thought it again.

_Very curious._


	2. Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve figures it out. Natasha is the best bro.

It had been a year since Siberia. Six months since the Accords had been repealed and James Buchanan Barnes pardoned. Five since Sam, Scott, Clint, Natasha, Wanda, Steve, and Bucky had moved back to the Avengers compound.

Inexplicably, Tony had forgiven Steve for the omission. And he no longer tried to kill Bucky, which everyone was grateful for. In fact, Tony had recently-without even having to be asked-fixed a mechanical difficulty in Bucky’s arm. Other than that, the soldier and the genius tended to keep their distance and that was ok.

Bucky had been woken up from cryo, had his triggers removed and a new arm given, then brought back to America all within a month. But that didn’t solve all his problems. He had complex PTSD, and usually wound up shaking in a corner if Steve ever left him alone with other people, even the Avengers, unless it was Nat or his counselor.  
He also didn’t talk. He’d spoken a total of four sentences from he’d woken from cryo, and all in Wakanda. It seemed to be a personal choice, and Steve respected it, even if he missed talking to his friend.

Steve wanted to help Bucky in any way he could. Bucky never left the apartment unless it was for mandatory counseling (Steve was pretty sure that Bucky kept his vow of silence there as well, but it still seemed to help him a little) or if he wanted to accompany Steve to a team building night-which was rare, but Steve was thankful for. He also ate next to nothing and always looked like he was desperately seeking...something. But Steve didn’t know what.

So, that was why Steve was thinking hard about the incident with the blankets. Not the shrinking away, but the other one. The way Bucky had wanted them all, and the way his hands couldn’t seem to stop stroking them. He’d been reluctant to leave the bed this morning and had been sulky ever since.

Steve knew that Bucky ran cold, very cold. And that sometimes the slightest chill could keep him shivering for hours, or even send him to a panic attack. So some of that was probably for warmth. Steve felt like he knew the rest of the truth, but his mind couldn’t grasp it.

The day after the blankets incident, Steve and Bucky were in the common area when Natasha came in. Steve greeted her warmly from the kitchenette area and even Bucky managed a slight smile from where he was bundled on the couch.

“Hi boys, what’s kicking?” Nat sat on the other couch, putting her feet up on the table and placing a box beside her.

“Not much, Nat. Late start. What about you?” Steve replied with a grin.

“Well, I actually came here to see if you wanted to spar today. I figured you might be missing getting your butt kicked in the ring by now.”

“Haha, very funny. And on that note, I’ll just take you up on that. Unless you need something Buck?” Steve double-checked. The soldier gave a small shake of the head and an even smaller smile.

Nat hummed. “Ok good.” She turned to Bucky. “Hey sweetie.” Steve grinned at his mug of coffee. Natasha had practically adopted Bucky over the last few months, dropping her Widow persona to call him pet names and give him surprise gifts. Speaking of which, the box she’d brought with her was placed on the table in front of Bucky. “Got you something special. It was something that helped me adjust at first, I thought you might like one.”

Bucky pulled himself up and reached for the box, delicately opening it, his face twisted in a look of intense concentration. He got it open and pulled out a large bundle, unwrapping and unfolding it to reveal a weighted blanket. It was colored a dark blue, with artfully placed patches of grey sprinkled on it. It was big enough to wrap around two super soldiers with room to spare.

Steve watched Bucky’s face light up and a genuine smile cross his face as he pulled the blanket-it looked so soft!-around himself with happy sounds he was probably not even aware he was making. Once he was so tightly wrapped in the blanket that only his eyes peeked out, he nudged it down a little and blew Nat a kiss, which she returned. It was their way of communicating gratefulness and love. Steve thought it was adorable.

Both Steve and Nat were silent until they were certain Bucky had fallen asleep, his breath rising evenly, the softest snores falling from his lips. Then Nat joined Steve in the kitchen, who smiled at her.  
“Thanks, Nat. He loves it.”

Nat’s smile was completely genuine, eyes soft as she looked at the former assassin. “He’s doing well, everything considered. But we all need some help, and I thought that might do it.”

Steve told her about the incident with the blankets, finishing with, “I don’t know what it is that he likes so much about them, but this morning he had all blankets in my room piled on top of him. Couldn’t just be warmth, right?”

“Security, maybe.” Nat suggested. “Something between him and the rest of the world.”

“Yeah, maybe.” Steve watched as Bucky’s metal hard began to stroke the blanket in his sleep. It clicked. “It’s the softness.”

Nat immediately picked up his thought process. “He didn’t have anything soft for seventy years. Not even clothes, with that body armor he had. It’s something he missed out on. And it’s something that doesn’t remind him of Hydra.”

Steve nodded empathetically, tracing it even further back. “Bucky always loved soft things. Even just touching a soft shirt that we couldn’t afford back then still made him smile.”

Nat smiled at the thought. “And now, he raided the blankets from your closet during a vulnerable time to comfort himself.” Steve nodded absently, thinking through Bucky’s closet to think if there was more than two spare blankets. Come to think of it, he was pretty sure they were already on Bucky’s bed. Nat continued, “I’m glad I could start off his own collection.”

That struck a brainstorm in Steve’s mind. “You did. And I’m going to continue it the best I can, especially it’s something he-“ _Needs_ , was the rest of that thought, but he trailed off as he began to plan.

Nat smirked at the determined look on Steve’s face. “And I’ll help.” She turned and walked confidently towards the door, before turning and saying, “Nine a.m tomorrow sharp, at the ring. Use today to get started on your project.”

Steve loved his friend and coworker most in that moment, and he was pretty sure it communicated most when he called over to her, “You’re the greatest, Nat.”

She smirked and turned to say, “I know,” before she left, her way of saying, _I love you too_.

Steve glanced over at the still sleeping Bucky before he pulled out his phone, going to Amazon to begin looking for the softest clothes and blankets that he could find for his best friend.


	3. The Nest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end! Hope you enjoy some sweet Bucky and amazing Avengers!

Steve spent all day on Amazon, finding every soft thing he could think of. Pillows, blankets, clothes, they all went in his basket. The more Steve found, the more he wanted to give Bucky, and the more he was glad that he had a large bank account.

Through all of this, Bucky stayed wrapped in his blanket, sipping hot cocoa when he wasn’t dozing. Steve would sometimes just stop what he was doing and look fondly at his best friend, finding the sight beyond adorable. Unable to resist, Steve finally took a photo and saved it on his phone. He never wanted to forget what this moment looked like.

The thing about Bucky being comfortable and in a deep sleep was that he lost all heightened senses that he had as a super soldier and highly trained assassin. So when Tony came in talking to Jarvis, Bucky didn’t even flinch, though Steve waved at Tony to be quiet.

The genius crept over to the couches, looking at the sleeping super soldier with an almost fond look. “Where’d he get the blanket? He looks like a burrito.” Tony loudly whispered.

Tony wasn’t wrong. Steve chuckled softly and whispered back, “Natasha gave it to him. He hasn’t left the cocoon since he got it this morning.” Steve continued to scroll through the many options on his tablet screen.

“That’s one of the most adorable things I’ve ever seen.” Steve realized his mistake when Tony looked over his shoulder. “Wait, you’re looking for more blankets?” Tony snatched the tablet out of Steve’s hands and looked through the cart. “Damn Capsicle, you could’ve just asked for the rooms to be better stocked, look at all this!” Tony didn’t seem offended, merely intrigued.

Steve shook his head. “It’s not for me, it’s for Bucky.” What was the harm, Tony would probably find out anyway. “I found out that he really craves soft things, so I want to get him some things he’d really like. It’s a surprise though.”

Tony barely even seemed to be listening, and Steve could practically see the wheels turning in the genius’s brain. He handed the tablet back with a distracted, “Cool stuff, charge it to me,” and hurried back towards the elevator, speaking to Jarvis the whole way. Steve found it odd, but shrugged, turning back to his tablet.

  
In the elevator, Tony asked thoughtfully, “Hey J, do we have any unused rooms lingering around the compound? There has to be something.”

Jarvis was silent for a moment before responding, “There’s a nice solo office, next to Captain Rogers’ and Sergeant Barnes’ rooms, Sir. It has been vacant since the compound was built.”

“Sunny? Well protected?”

“Of course, Sir.”

“What color is it painted?”

“White, Sir. May I inquire what this is about?|

“Buckle up, J, we have a painting job to do. And a shit load of online shopping.” Tony leaned against the wall of the elevator thoughtfully.

“Of course, Sir. I’m always at your service.”

  
The thing was, Steve hadn’t even set out to bring anyone else in on his plan. At the most, Natasha would help a bit and that’d be it.

But somehow-Steve strongly suspected Tony-word had gotten out and one by one, all the other Avengers had joined in. Clint was the first, delivering a pizza shaped blanket to Bucky where you could crawl in between the layers. Bucky seemed puzzled but delighted, and it made Steve grin to see him wrapping up in it.

Then Sam showed up with a gift, which was a bigger surprise. Steve could still never tell whether he and Bucky actually liked each other or not, but they had always remained cordial. (Read: Sam waved or said hi when he came around and Bucky didn’t flip him off). But Sam showed up with a soft falcon onesie that Steve had no idea how he’d managed to get but Bucky absolutely loved it.

Even Thor got into it, arriving for a monthly visit from Asgard with the largest blanket Steve had ever seen. He told Bucky, who really liked Thor, that it was a blanket used for warriors. It was enchanted to keep nightmares at bay and to provide pleasant dreams to those who used it. Bucky always wrapped up in his other blankets and slept on top of it. He hadn’t been bothered with a nightmare since it came, but he still slept with Steve in the blond’s room. Steve didn’t mind at all. He found it an adorable sight that he was privileged to see, Bucky under all his blankets and with a peaceful look that Steve hadn’t seen since they were young children, too young to understand the hardships of the world.

So Steve couldn’t really complain about his plan getting out there, especially when his own purchases came in and he spread them all on the bed, surprising Bucky when he came in. The former Winter Soldier had started crying once Steve managed to get through to him that it was all his, throwing his arms around Steve and holding him tight. The bed wasn’t big enough to hold all the blankets all the time, so Bucky alternated them.

It was about a week after Natasha had given Bucky the blanket that Tony burst into the communal kitchen, where everyone-including Thor and Bucky-were gathered. Bucky barely flinched when the genius appeared, which spoke to how relaxed he’d become in the last week. He did look surprised, however, when Tony addressed him.

“Finally finished, Snowflake. I’ve got a little surprise for you. Come on everyone, I can’t wait any longer! I’ve been working on it for a week!” Tony hurried out of the room again, the rest of the bemused group following him more slowly.

  
Tony led the way to a vacant office near Steve and Bucky’s rooms, pausing with a hand on the closed door.

“Now this is specifically for Buckaroo, and whatever he’d like to do with it. You can change anything you want, I wanted you to have a space for yourself.” The genius looked awkward and embarrassed as he quickly explained himself. He opened the door and gestured for them to go in. Bucky entered first, then Steve. Both stopped shortly into the room, looking around in wonder. The others crowded around them, peering in as well.

The room was well lit, but protected. The walls were painted a soft, spring green, trimmed with white. The floors were a honey colored wood, with several bright, multicolored rugs thrown over them. There was a doorway covered with a soft curtain, which when pulled back showed a closet with clothes. All soft hoodies or fuzzy sweaters, or light and fluffy t-shirts, with some soft sweatpants tucked in there as well.

Across from the closet was a record player, with albums of gentle, mostly classical music stored on a shelf nearby. This threw Steve for a real loop, because it was the kind of music that tended to really soothe Bucky and he wondered how Tony had known all the favorites. Maybe Jarvis told him.

But straight ahead…

There was a literal nest taking up the back half of the room. The bottom layer appeared to be a dozen or so bean bags, going from wall to wall and making up a foundation. It curved down in the middle and up on the sides, much like an actual nest. On top of the bean bags were layers after soft layers of throw blankets, pillows, even the blankets from Steve’s room which Bucky used. There were even some stuffed toys, one of each of the Avengers as they were now, and even a small Bucky Bear.

The result was a luscious, colorful compilation of everything Bucky-or any of them really-could’ve dreamed of. Steve was astounded, and Bucky was still looking around in shock. Tony started to talk at some point.

“You can change anything you want, of course. Nat helped get the stuff you guys already had-hope you don’t mind about that, I wanted it to be complete. There’s an intercom which blinks a soft light if someone wants to talk or come in. I hope it’s not too much, I just got to thinking about it and figured maybe you’d want a safe spot, a no jump no scare zone, that kind of-oof!”

Tony had the wind knocked out of him as Bucky whirled and hugged him tightly, something he’d never done with anyone other than Nat and Steve. Tony relaxed after a second and hugged Bucky back until the super soldier pulled away. Bucky looked like he wanted to speak, and after a minute he hastily began signing, something Clint had taught him and most of them knew pretty well.

“ _Too much...not worth all this...why me_?” Bucky’s disbelief and confusion, along with a heavy dose of guilt, layered his signed words.

Tony gave a soft little smile. “You deserve good things, Buckaroo. This is a gift. Enjoy it, it’s all yours.”

Steve watched as Bucky’s eyes filled with tears, the soldier turning back to look at the room again. He slowly went to the nest and tentatively touched it. He almost immediately started stroking it, soft humming coming from his throat. Within a moment, he’d crawled into the nest and was nestling into the soft throws, hugging a pillow to his chest. The winning smile Tony got was all the thanks anyone could ever need.

At Bucky’s gesture, Steve went over and knelt next to the nest. “Hey Buck. This is amazing.”

Bucky smiled again, and started signing. “ _Most of the blankets stay here, but I do want the dream one and a couple others with us at night. Is that ok_?”

“Of course it’s ok, Bucky. You can have as much as you’d like.” Steve smiled back at his friend, and Bucky hummed happily. “You deserve something like this Buck. Everything good, you deserve it.”

Bucky’s eyes got shiny again, especially when Thor agreed from the doorway, “A fine place of rest for a mighty warrior to retire to.”

Steve grinned back at Thor and turned to Bucky, who signed, “ _Thank you_ ,” to everyone. Everybody else eventually left except Steve, as when he’d tried Bucky had tugged on his hand to make him stay. When they were alone, Bucky coaxed with a lot of hand tugs Steve to climb into the nest as well. When the blond was settled, Bucky pulled his weighted blanket over both of them and cuddled up to Steve’s chest, signing,

“ _Perfect_.”

Steve smiled and just held Bucky close.

**The End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took so damn long to finish. I’m pretty happy with it tho! Let me know what you think in the comments!


End file.
